Month: August 2011

Back to school is just around the corner… which means football season is about ready to kick off! Football is great fun, but with it also comes risk of injury. Luckily there are several measures an athlete can take to help prevent injuries while playing football.

Proper Training – Learn correct ways to tackle, fall, catch and run. Knowing proper football techniques protects you and other players during impact.

Strength Training – Keeping your muscles strong not only helps you perform better on the field, but can also prevent injury to your ligaments. Weak muscles tend to allow joints to move out of their natural position, which is why strength training is so important for injury prevention.

Stretching – Increase your range of motion by stretching before and after workouts. Make sure to warm up before each football game – not only will this prepare your body to function on the field, but you’ll get mentally focused as well.

Wear Football Braces – Wearing protective gear for football can be a key factor in avoiding injury. They prevent your muscles and joints from moving the wrong way. For example, most of our football knee braces come with technology that reduces the time your knee is at an “at risk” position for a ligament tear.

We’re proud to announce that we’re now carrying Fast Freeze products for topical pain relief! Topical pain relievers immediately treat sore muscles and work much faster than oral pain relievers, such as aspirin. Unlike pills, which can take up to 30 minutes to enter your system and only reach an estimated 5% of the inflamed area, Fast Freeze products cover up to 95% of the affected area, and treat pain fast!

Fast Freeze cold therapy products are great for joint pain, muscle pain, sprains, strains, bruises, and even arthritis. Each product is made with the same all-natural formula that includes menthol, camphor, aloe, vitamin E and ilex. The formula provides a cooling sensation that soothes away muscle aches for quick relief. You can apply Fast Freeze in several different ways:

Holly B. is an active professional in her late twenties who spends her free time playing recreational flag football and league basketball. She recently tore her ACL and will be sharing her experiences with us as she works towards getting back into sports.

It’s only a couple days until my ACL surgery. I’m a little apprehensive because I’ve never had surgery before, but mostly the whole situation hasn’t hit me yet.

At this point I’m focusing my energy on picking out a few ACL knee braces, so that I’ll have the support I need when I return to sports. I’m selecting from DonJoy hinged knee braces because the FourcePoint hinge is the only knee brace hinge proven to help reduce the chance of ACL injuries.

Here are the ACL knee braces that I’m considering:

DonJoy Female Fource ACL – Not only is this knee brace made for the ACL, but it’s also made for the ladies! This brace is designed for a female body, and I think I can get a “custom-made” feel from it. It’s also only 18 ounces so it won’t weigh me down.

DonJoy Armor with FourcePoint Hinge – This knee brace is known for its ACL support during sports and other high impact activities. I’m pretty sure it’s the best knee brace I can get without a prescription, so I’d be getting the best possible protection for my ACL.

DonJoy Playmaker Knee Brace – This brace is known for being the best basketball knee brace. It’s appealing to me since that’s the sport I want to return to playing the most. It’s also more of a sleeve-style, which might help me feel like I have support all around my knee.

These are the ACL braces that I think will work for me. There are many options out there and what you decide for yourself might be different from my choices. The great thing is I don’t think I can go wrong regardless of which brace I pick. I’m excited to get my knee brace soon, but I’ll need to face my surgery first!

The primary difference between tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow is where it’s located in your body. We recently came across another great article by Dr. Kevin McIntyre of Burlington Sports Therapy that explains the distinction between these two common elbow injuries. Here’s an excerpt:

What is the difference between tennis elbow and golfers elbow? This is a common question we encounter in our clinic and the answer is quite simple. It actually has nothing to do with either of those sports really; it is more based on anatomical location. Golfers can have tennis elbow and tennis players can have golfers elbow. The primary difference is that one affects the outside of your elbow and the other affects the inside of your elbow.

Check out the full article and learn more about tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow and what you can do to prevent these common elbow injuries.

Did you know that a spider web is five times stronger than steel on a weight-to-strength basis? The DonJoy Reaction Knee Brace was designed with the natural strength of a webbed-shape in mind. This brace utilizes an elastic web that reduces knee pain by absorbing shock and helps shift pressure away from the painful areas of your knee.

The web-like design helps stabilize your knee on all sides, bringing your kneecap into proper position to increase stability. The DonJoy Reaction Knee Brace is also extremely comfortable to wear, because its open structure and mesh backing makes the brace breathable, unlike traditional elastic and neoprene knee sleeves.

The DonJoy Reaction is a knee brace that’s great for everyday use. It especially helps those who suffer from pain in the knee cap area or for patients who have mild osteoarthritis of the knee. Check it out today!